Rapper A$AP Rocky will stand trial for allegedly shooting his former friend outside a Hollywood hotel, a judge ruled Monday — as new video emerged of him allegedly firing the weapon.
Rocky, a Harlem native whose real name is Rakim Athenaston Mayers, showed little emotion in the courtroom as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ML Villar handed down the verdict.
The 35-year-old “Praise the Lord” rapper, who is in a relationship and has two children with pop star Rihanna, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He is accused of shooting his former friend and colleague Terell Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, during an argument on the night of November 6, 2021.
One of the bullets grazed Ephron’s hand and left him with a minor injury.
A$AP Rocky showed little emotion on Monday as a judge ruled he will go to trial over the 2021 Hollywood shooting via REUTERS
The judge’s decision appeared to be upheld on Monday after newly emerged footage from that night was played in court, backing up the silent and hard-to-distinguish footage previously shown during a court hearing two weeks ago.
In new footage taken from a security camera around the corner from the shooting, gunshots can be heard matching the timestamp from previous video evidence, before a man identified as Rocky was rounding the corner from the scene while running, according to Rolling Stone.
Footage taken just before the shooting appears to show the pair pushing each other, while Rocky allegedly hides a gun behind his back.
A witness looks at evidence during A$AP Rocky’s preliminary hearing.ALLISON DINNER/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Evidence is seen in the courtroom.ALLISON DINNER/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Judge Villar said “the entirety of the video and evidence” from the preliminary hearing was enough to bring the charges to trial but noted that he was only looking for probable cause and that a real trial would have a higher evidentiary standard.
Rocky is now free on $550,000 bail. He faces up to nine years in prison if convicted.
Terell Ephron, also known as A$AP Relli, claims Rocky shot him during a dispute on a Hollywood street in 2021. AP A$AP Rocky left a Los Angeles court Monday after a judge ruled he would stand trial on shooting charges. Meghann Cuniff / SplashNews.com
Earlier in Monday’s hearing, Relli testified how he and Rocky became friends as New York City high school students and members of the rap group A$AP.
Their friendship began to strain when Rocky discovered the frame, he said, accusing the star of reneging on business promises and failing to help friends when they needed it.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
